More than $26.8 million approved for rebuilding new Clendenin Elemetary School

KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WCHS/WVAH) — More than $26.8 million in federal funding has been approved for the rebuilding of Clendenin Elementary that was destroyed in the 2016 flood.

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Congressman Alex Mooney, R-W.Va., announced the award from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Kanawha County school officials said the project has cleared all environmental processes, obtained congressional approval and FEMA has set aside funds for the project.

The projected opening date for the new school, which will be located at Wolverton Mountain Road near Clendenin, is 2022. Property acquisition is underway.

School officials said the project design drawings, specifications and bid documents are being prepared by ZMM Architects, and the project is expected to be released for bids at the end of July or early August.

The estimated construction cost for the new school is $29.8 million. FEMA is funding $26.8 million, and the state portion is the remaining 10%.

Briana Warner, communications director for Kanawha County Schools, said students currently attend Bridge-Clendenin Elementary in the old Bridge Elementary building with portables built on the front for additional classroom space.

Capito said in a statement Thursday that as the state approaches the fourth anniversary of the 2016 flood “we are reminded of the devastating impact it had on our state, especially in Clendenin.”

“Since then, our community has come together to support one another as West Virginians do. This funding will assist in the construction of a new elementary school and provide much needed support for families across the area,” Capito said.

Manchin said communities and families are still rebuilding from the 2016 flood.

“This funding has been eagerly awaited by the Clendenin community, and I am pleased to see that all of our schools damaged in those terrible floods are finally on track to be rebuilt,” Manchin said in a statement.

Mooney said in a statement that he is “glad this FEMA funding was secured for the Clendenin Elementary School so that students can continue to learn, study and grow in a safe, healthy and clean environment.”